Chinese authorities have repatriated 37 home-grown "gangsters" from
Angola, claiming to have smashed a "brutal" network of thieves who
kidnapped, beat and set fire to their victims.

According to China's Ministry of Public Security, the criminals, who were repatriated on Saturday, were Chinese nationals who were targeting wealthy members of the Chinese community in the oil-rich southwest African country.

The operation was described as the first of its kind in Africa, according to state news agency Xinhua, and claimed the criminals had used "extreme brutality" when committing their crimes "such as beating, burning victims after pouring gasoline on them and burying victims alive."

China overtook the United States as Africa's biggest trading partner in 2009 and its presence in Angola has ballooned since 2002, when a 27-year civil war which claimed around 500,000 lives officially ended.

Angolan authorities say 258,920 Chinese citizens now reside in their country, the majority holding work visas.

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But security chiefs say Angola's Chinese community has attracted the attention of domestic and foreign gangs, including criminals from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and China itself.

In 2011 local media reported that Angolan police had dismantled the "Lightning Terror" gang, which preyed on Chinese citizens living in Cabinda province, home to much of the country's oil industry.

An article posted on the China Police online magazine and quoted by the Associated Press said Chinese businessman had been forced to recruit bodyguards and use disguises and bulletproof cars to protect themselves.

In April this year Angolan and Chinese authorities signed an agreement to reinforce their battle against the criminals following a plea for help from China's Embassy in Luanda.

Then, in July, a Chinese police task force reportedly arrived in Angola to crack down on 12 Chinese gangs and rescue 14 "victims" many of whom had been forced into prostitution. In early August 400 Chinese and Angola launched a series of raids on their targets, making 37 arrests. Twenty-four "accomplices" were arrested in the Chinese provinces of Fujian and Anhui, Xinhua reported.

The alleged criminals were extradited to China on Saturday on a charter plane from the Angolan capital.

China’s BRIC counterpart Brazil has also been expanding its presence in Angola, the setting for a major economic boom since peace returned a decade ago. The Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, is now Angola’s largest private employer, with around 17,000 staff.

But Brazilian expats have also been targeted by criminals.

In July, the news website Ango Noticias reported that a 62-year-old Brazilian businessman named as Albino Dzazio was shot in Luanda’s Belas shopping centre. The thieves made off with $7,000. Ango Noticias claimed police sources blamed Nigerian and Chinese gangs for a wave of bank robberies and kidnappings.